Testimonials

We've just completed our fourth major landscaping project with Steve and Mystic Water Gardens, and once again, the results have exceeded our expectations.
Our journey with Steve began several years ago when he designed and installed a koi and turtle pond in our backyard, complete with a stream and waterfall. Later, he revised that design to include a charming side pond that now flows seamlessly into the main one. A few years after that, Steve brought his vision to our front yard, creating a beautifully landscaped entry that we still receive compliments on.
Most recently, we decided to renovate our backyard pond, removing the waterfall and instead building an upper pond dedicated to aquatic plants, which flows gently into the stream and down to the main koi pond. The transformation is absolutely stunning.
Steve has a remarkable ability to listen closely to our ideas, understand what we're envisioning, and then bring it to life-only better. His choices of aquatic and surrounding plants are spot-on, creating a lush, serene space that we enjoy every single day. His artistic sensibility, paired with technical expertise, results in ponds that feel alive, peaceful, and thoughtfully integrated into their environment.
His crew is wonderful-always polite, friendly, upbeat, and meticulous with their cleanup. You'd never know major work had taken place once they wrap up for the day.
It's also worth noting that if any technical issues ever arise-like a pump needing replacement-Steve is quick to respond and gets his team on it without delay. That level of ongoing support really sets him apart.
We highly recommend Steve and Mystic Water Gardens without hesitation. His creativity, professionalism, and genuine care for both the design and his clients are rare qualities. We'd absolutely work with him again-if we hadn't already run out of projects!

I highly recommend Mystic Water Gardens! I called to make an appointment to receive a quote for a water feature in my yard. I had done a bit of research but wasn't exactly sure what I wanted. Steve, the owner of Mystic Water Gardens, came out to my house and gave me great ideas! Once we agreed on the design and price, the crew was at my house the following week. It took them 3 days to build me a peaceful masterpiece! Everyone, from the office to the crew, was efficient, polite and helpful. They were also extremely professional, and because of this, I hired them back the following month to landscape my yard! The landscape crew was a different team, and they were just as amazing as the water feature crew. They are extremely knowledgeable and true artists and helped complete my backyard oasis! Now I want my front yard done!

This is the best group to have build and service your pond, whether you are starting from scratch or remodeling an existing pond or water feature. They know what they are doing, they give you a full and honest estimate from the start after proposing an outstanding design, they show up on time and work quickly and efficiently. They make sure they have left the jobsite spotless and will resolve any issue you may have in a timely and friendly manner. Michelle is the best -- she stays on top of the job and responds quickly to any question you may have. They know their business and they are a pleasure to work with. I highly recommend them.

Mystic Water Gardens, Steve Sandalis, and Michele Perkins have always been outstanding in the services they have provided-from the planning, installation, and yearly maintenance of my koi pond since 2016. Their prices were very reasonable compared to their competitors, and the service call was inexpensive for a yearly checkup to clean the pump and filters. I have highly recommended them to my friends and clients.

The masters at Mystic Water Gardens transformed our uninteresting and therefore rarely used backyard into a majestic mountain meadow highlighted by a gorgeous creek that looks like it was transported from the Sierra Nevada mountains. We start and finish our day relaxing next to the calming sound of the water while enjoying the perfectly placed landscaping and watching the birds, butterflies and bees that moved in immediately after the workmen finished. Mystic Water Garden is wonderful to work with, quick to answer questions, patient and accommodating, on time and very fast in completing the project. They are total professionals and very nice people. We were so thrilled with the back yard that we are now having them revamp our front yard as well. We couldn't be happier.

Mystic Water Gardens and Steve did a fantastic job on our backyard hillside! They took an overgrown, unusable area and turned it into an urban oasis. They were efficient, professional, reasonable, and communicative. Would recommend them for all your needs, big and small.

Expertise, Integrity and Artistry. Mystic Water Gardens will give you a great experience and an outcome to die for. We love our back yard stream! The day after our pondless waterfall/recirculating stream was finished (the whole project only took 2 days) I called Michelle at Mystic Water Gardens to let her know I was so happy with the results I didn't even know what to do with myself! Truly, what they were able to do in such a short period of time was amazing, and the outcome exceeded our highest expectations – so much better than what I had originally envisioned. Trust Steve, he will not let you down. Owner Steve Sandalis and his crew are absolute professionals who know what they are doing, and then some. This company has no weak links, which helps explain its well-deserved success. They know what they are about, they are experts in every aspect of providing an extraordinarily natural looking water feature in any environment, they worked within our budget and gave us far more than we were expecting. They treated our smaller job with exceptional personalized care, regardless of the much larger projects they had going and are known for. Mystic has an incredible, exceptionally talented team, and they excel at clear communication from the first phone call to the detailed estimate, throughout the project and completion. In a fun coincidence, one of my business clients sent us a video of their new waterfall and stream, absolutely ecstatic about it. What do you know, it was done by Mystic Water Gardens. We will never go anywhere else for our water feature projects.

Mystic Water Gardens is a company with integrity, artists and architects of pond building and landscape design. We are so fortunate to have heard about their beautiful ponds and then get scheduled in for our own pond to be created. It took only 10 days to complete once the construction began. My neighbors and friends visit with us day and night just to relax and hear the waterfall, watch the fish swim, and see the beauty of the garden that Steve and his team including Michelle and Jacinto created. Remarkable and magical. And they have not stopped reaching out to make sure we are happy and that all is well with the pond. Truly a stellar organization and we recommend them highly. Five stars.

Our experience with Steve, Michele, Juni, Omar--the whole team--was amazing. Because our experience with the Mystic Water Gardens team is so wonderful, it has lasted now 4 years and will continue to last into the future. The first project we did with Mystic was a pond. Another contractor recommended Mystic because he called them a "specialist" in this area. The Mystic team put together an itemized contract with fee schedule and design concept. Everything went exactly according to plan. There may have been a couple of old irrigation lines discovered, but the team knew exactly how to handle them in a way that did NOT affect the contract or price. Fast forward another year, and we had another project to do. And then another. And then another. Mind you--we had even sought competing bids during the last few years. The others could not touch the price or quality of Mystic's work. I simply cannot recommend the quality, integrity, and experience of working with Mystic highly enough. I'm attaching 3 pics, but there could be dozens more. Love this team.

We are a repeat customer. Mystic Water Gardens did our beautiful koi fishpond and stream in our backyard and landscaping in the front. A contractor dug up our landscape to replace the sewer line. We called Steve Sandalis and he came up with a drawing design and picked all the plants, lights and irrigation system. We trust his vision and let him make all the decisions, We are very happy with the results. It is more than we even dreamed of, he also came up with a Japanese method of burnt wood which he put on a privacy fence and planters. These all tie in wonderfully. His crew, his supervisor Juni were all very professional and a hard-working group. We will be a forever customer. We highly recommend them to anyone. We get many compliments from our neighbors.

Very positive experience with Mystic! Steve and the team delivered a beautiful pondless stream for our front patio which has given it a massive upgrade. Michele's communication is excellent the work was great quality. Definitely recommend.

I'm really happy with the pond these guys built for me. They work fast and are on point. Price is always good. I would hire them again!

Steve is an artist with a business that delivers. The crew are professional and efficient. Can't say enough good things about Mystic Water Gardens!

Couldn't be any happier with the way my pondless waterfall turned out. It's a small one and they got it done in about a day and a half, we're professional and gave me exactly what I wanted. I highly recommend Steve and Mystic Water Gardens.

I can't thank you enough for the beautiful job you had done and also for been able to do maintenance on our water strum, we don't have to worry about anything, and it looks and runs like when they first did it. We love it, it makes our yard look beautiful and the sound of water is very relax. Thank You, Mystic Water Gardens!!!!

I found Mystic Water Gardens on Instagram. I was looking for someone who could build a pond less waterfall feature in my backyard. From the first initial communication I was very impressed by the professional of the employees. Within a few days I had scheduled Steve to come to the house. He spent a lot of time going over our options, sharing photos of past work, recommendations on what would work best etc. Within a few days after that he returned with a beautiful presentation of exactly the job he would do and a breakdown of costs. I was happy because the company also does regular landscaping, so I was able to do both front and back yard with them. They started the work within a few weeks and got the job done in 2 weeks. The entire staff was extremely professional, on time every day, available to answer questions and always doing the work to perfection. You could tell they take A LOT OF PRIDE in doing excellent work. I have a lot of experience doing renovation work and work with contractors and I have to say Mystic Water Gardens were the best. The transformed our small back yard space into a beautiful oasis with a stream, looks like it was plucked right from a forest. And our front year cub appeal increases 100%, with beautiful flower and plants. We wanted to put in artificial grass, and they work with a great company that has been in the business for decades. They too were on time, professional and knowledgeable. I cannot stress how much I highly recommend this company for your water feature and landscaping needs; you will not be disappointed. Thank you to the entire team for making our landscaping dreams come true.

Steve, Michele and the rest of the Mystic Water Gardens team were incredible from me reaching out with my inquiry. Michele was prompt, communicative, friendly and patient as I received quotes from other contractors. She was helpful throughout the whole process and answered all my questions and made us feel comfortable with the decision to move forward with them and I'm GLAD we did. They scheduled us in quickly, we're on time with everything, got the work done efficiently. The whole crew was so kind, all smiling even in 95-degree heat. They went above and beyond with the job, cleaned up after themselves and ensured we were happy with job. We will definitely go with them any time we have other projects for our yard.

I am a general contractor and hired Mystic Water Gardens to build a swim pond at a property in Topanga. I have built plenty of traditional pools, but this was my first natural swim pond. I bid out to three contractors, and while at first Steve felt the least interested in the project, I ended up going with him because he clearly was the most knowledgeable and confident. Steve and I worked on the scope and price for a few weeks, signed the contract, and 2 months later we had a beautiful swim pond that looks like it was just naturally there. Steve went way above and beyond making sure the result was nothing short of spectacular. Michele handles all the back end and client communication, and you couldn't ask for a better project manager with phenomenal communication skills. There were no down times or delays, and all of the work was coordinated skillfully. Couldn't speak more highly of Mystic Water Gardens.

Mystic Water Gardens are amazing to work with. They have a highly professional and collaborative crew that worked with us and other contractors on-site to get every detail of the project tuned in to deliver a great stream that fitted perfectly with the work of other professionals. Great team players, we recommend them, and we will work with them again.

Mystic Water Gardens did our pond 14 years ago and it's been working great. This is the first time we've had it deep cleaned and it looks like it did when new. Steve's team is the best. They took great care of our fish and went above and beyond.

We are over the top ecstatic with the waterfall Steve designed and his crew executed. The job was done on time and the site left clean and orderly. The guys working the job were the hardest working and friendliest I've ever had the pleasure of dealing with, going above and beyond the job they were working on. Michele, from the office, always responded immediately to our correspondence, so that we were informed of the entire schedule from day one. This is the most incredible company I have ever worked with.

I would give Mystic Water Gardens TEN STARS!!!  The results of our backyard water feature and landscaping were so breathtaking that my wife cried tears of wonder when she saw the finished project.  This is the most professional company I have ever dealt with.  They completed a huge amount of work in just a few days.  They communicated excellently.  The crew was wonderful.  In summary, all aspects of the job were far beyond my best dreams and hopes.

I’ve worked with my share of contractors over the years, but I honestly have to admit that working with Mystic Water Gardens was a breath of fresh air! Mystic Water Gardens responded promptly to my initial inquiry for an estimate and delivered the estimate on time. Communication throughout all phases of the project from design to implementation was clear and concise.
One VERY important quality of Mystic Water Gardens is their attitude. They work within your budget and /or design requirements and do not try to upsell you on additional features that you don’t need or are outside of your budget. The team showed up on time every day and was extremely organized. The team lead, Byron, greeted me each morning and was patient in explaining the process and status along the way. At the end of the project, Byron walked me through each feature and made sure that I understood how it worked and how to maintain it.
Steve, President and CEO, came out each day and wasn’t above helping out. Steve has created such camaraderie amongst his people that they are more family than just employees.
My humble yard was transformed from looking like a dumping ground to a place of tranquil beauty and I can’t thank Mystic Water Gardens enough.

Steve and his team at Mystic Water Gardens took our entry, where nothing ever grew and was a sore spot in our house, and transformed it into a breathtaking, natural-looking Creek. We were blown away by his artistry and professionalism. The project was completed ahead of schedule and all the guys had a great attitude. Beyond the aesthetic beauty of the project, it's increased the value of our home. Highly recommended!!!!

Steve’s enthusiasm and attention to detail come through in his design, which made our waterfall even more beautiful and unique than we could have ever imagined.
The crew was professional, accommodating, clean, and knowledgeable on construction.
Steve’s customer service is exceptional. I had so many questions and his willingness to take his time to educate us allowed me to feel comfortable, not to mention the fact that he invited us to his home where we were able to see his gorgeous backyard. Once we saw his work, we booked the job!

We've recently had the pleasure to work with Steve Sandalis and Mystic Water Gardens in the building of a stream/pondless waterfall. My husband and I built our house 9 years ago, and contracted it ourselves, which means that we worked with all kinds of builders, contractors, etc. Many left a bad taste in our mouths and it was a very stressful experience. The one thing that we didn't do at the time, that we always wanted to do, was to build a water feature on our property. After building our house, we just didn't have it in us to continue. So we waited. Nine years later, we decided we were ready to bite the bullet and try it again. We found Steve and his company and decided to go for it. And I can honestly say, that it was the BEST experience we have ever had with anything house related! Not only did they do an incredibly beautiful job, but they were there from beginning to end to answer our questions, help us with the planning stages, and come back to attend to any issues we had afterward. His team was outstanding, very knowledgeable, the hardest workers we have ever seen, and cleaned up after themselves every day. They were pleasant to have around, and made the entire experience a joy rather than a nightmare.
We are beyond happy with the finished results. We not only put in one water feature, but ended up putting in a second one because the price was right. Both turned out better than we even planned! Everyone who sees our water features has been absolutely speechless, and immediately said they wanted one, too. I wish every experience with home remodeling could be as pleasant as this one. We can't recommend Steve Sandalis and Mystic Water Gardens more highly.

Our pond is possibly the best part of our full house remodel. We get as much joy from our pond and waterfall as we do from our new kitchen. Steve, the owner of Mystic Water Gardens is not only an incredible artist and contractor, but also a kind and personable gentleman. Our experience with him and his company has been incredibly delightful. I highly recommend them!

They are the best. They are so creative and responsive to ideas. They made an amazing project. It is stunning creation. They are the top for water falls. 

These aren't your grandma's water features. Steve Sandalis and his amazing crew create crazy-gorgeous water features of all sizes. I first encountered Steve's work on a very large-scale luxury sector residential project and was blown away by the result, an enormous water feature that looks as if it's part of the watershed, just a little body of water on its way to the ocean. The rocks and plants they select, the fish in the ponds and the overall shape of the feature all conspire to give it a fully integrated, natural feel.
I had the pleasure of working with Mystic Water Gardens on the 2013 Pasadena Showcase House and got to see another side of their work. A smaller feature that looks perfectly natural, as if an underground spring pops up for a while. Mossy rocks, wildlife supporting plants, and just the right design make this version of their work perfect for anyone's yard! On top of all that the work was done quickly and neatly. Really amazing stuff. Mystic's work is the perfect fit for city and valley dwellers who need a little piece of nature in their lives! It was a pleasure to work with them.

I have had the pleasure to work side-by-side with Steve Sandalis of Mystic Water Gardens for the past two consecutive years at the Pasadena Showcase house. Steve has an amazing crew and he is a true visionary. He had the ability to create a tranquil water garden that appeared to have been on the grounds for years. His selection of local hardscape materials and native plants were in keeping with architectural integrity of the historic home and neighborhood. I continue to admire Steve's design work and his professionalism. As a designer myself, it is refreshing to work alongside truly professional colleagues since it raises the bar for the quality of design in our community.

Mystic Water Gardens and crew created a stunning and calming pondless waterfall for us. It is just incredible how peaceful it feels. It’s hard to believe that they transformed our small backyard in less than 2 days. What originally attracted us to Mystic Water Gardens was Steve’s design aesthetic. When we first met with him, we had no idea what we wanted because we couldn’t visualize our empty yard with a stream running through it. Steve shared his vision with us and made it so easy for us to picture. We knew we wanted something natural-looking. We are so impressed by how talented he is.